As the cars portrayed in these large color photographs (up to 21 x 12 inches) attest, the Aston Martin enjoys a special niche in the world of the luxury sports car, bespeaking class, individuality, and a certain timelessness. The noble marque from Newport Pagnell has inspired British sporting blood from Stirling Moss to James Bond, while the passion to build such cars has endured many downturns in the hand-built car market; the Aston Martin has been saved from oblivion at various times by Walter Hayes, Henry Ford II, and by David Brown in the 1940s, who lent his initials to the famous DB series of coupes. Here are portraits of such legendary models as the original DB2 and the DB4 Bond made famous, the elegant Lagondas and the ferocious V12s of the 21st century, and the true racing models like the DBR1 from 1956 and the AMR1 from 1989.